Making a UX Research Portfolio? You Should Read This First.

Applying to UX research jobs isn’t as easy as simply submitting a resume and cover letter. A portfolio is typically required as well.

You might ask, why do I need a portfolio as a researcher? Think of your portfolio as an opportunity to highlight your skills, expertise, and best work. It also shows prospective employers how you approach problems and your research processes.

Research is at the core of everything I do. So when the time came for me to make my first UX portfolio more than 5 years ago, I naturally dove in and thoroughly researched best practices, conducted competitive analyses of portfolio examples from across the internet, and more! Since then, my portfolio has undergone at least 3 major redesigns and countless iterative improvements. Now I regularly provide portfolio feedback to colleagues, UX researchers, UX designers, aspiring UX researchers, and Michigan State University students.

In this article, I’ll share actionable insights including:

• Considerations before you get started
• What deliverables to include in your UX research portfolio
• Tips to design an effective portfolio
• How to write an easy-to-skim, compelling case study

What you need to consider before getting started

1. Decide how you will brand yourself. Include this branding essence in all your career-related marketing channels (e.g., LinkedIn, Resume, Cover Letter, Portfolio, etc.). They should all look and feel cohesive.
2. Where, and to whom, do you plan to share your portfolio?
3. What are you going to put into your portfolio? (We’ll talk about this later)
4. What is the information architecture and how will the content be organized and/or interconnected for a quick, seamless experience?
5. How are you going to build your portfolio? Two common methods are (1) a website or (2) files stored in a sharable, cloud-based folder. Consider the pros and cons of each method (e.g., hosting, cost, your skill level, time and resources, security threats, findability, usability, etc.). What tool(s) are you going to use? Why?

What do I need to include in a UX research portfolio?

UX researcher job postings typically ask for examples of the following:

• Case studies
• Research reports & presentations
• Research plans
• Data visualizations & artifacts
• Other relevant materials that address skills mentioned in the job posting

Tip: Explain and/or provide context to your portfolio materials, excluding case studies (they tell their own story).

Designing a competitive, user-friendly UX portfolio

Consider your portfolio as a design problem (i.e., make way for design thinking!) This means understanding your audience and designing your portfolio with their needs in mind.

In the case of a portfolio, you’re typically designing for a recruiter or hiring manager. The average recruiter will only spend several minutes reviewing your portfolio. So how do you impress them in that short time?

1. Put your best case study first.
2. In your case study, show before/after visuals (if possible) above the fold and include a short, impactful statement that summarizes the entire project.
3. Consider how users will behave and interact with your portfolio. For example, how will users move from one example to another? How can you minimize scroll? Apply UX heuristics and design principles to your portfolio. Usability testing a prototype(s) would be helpful.
4. You don’t know what type of device will be used to access your portfolio. Make sure your portfolio and portfolio pieces are readable and look good on computers, tablets, and smartphones.

In addition to usability, you also want your portfolio to look great. Here are some tips:

1. Consider a color palette that compliments the designs and artifacts showcased in your case studies
2. It’s common for UX professionals to use web design templates for their portfolios. Don’t code your own website, unless you have super awesome coding skills. I’ve seen numerous UXers try to code their own portfolio websites, but their coding skills typically limit the website’s design and user iteration functionality — thus it may not be a true reflection of your UX capabilities.

Don’t forget: Your portfolio is also a representation of your UX skills!

How to write an easy-to-skim, compelling case study for your portfolio

1. Tell a story with your case study. We’re biologically wired for story. Be sure to include the elements of the story arch — it works. More specific tips can be found in the ‘Content to include in your case study’ section below.
2. Draft an outline or plan on how to tell the story of your project before you start building it. Make sure it flows well.
3. Write for how people read on the web (e.g., skimmable headlines). The reader should be able to follow and understand your whole case study just by reading the header titles.
4. Write short, concise body text. As a general rule, take the text you’ve written and reduce it by ~50%. Then repeat.
5. Use bullet points and numbering whenever you have a list.
6. Case studies can be really lengthy and disjointed. It’s helpful to provide indicators of system status (e.g., where users are in the design thinking process) along the way as you’re telling the story.
7. Include visuals, graphics, and other supplemental media that add value to the story and/or clout to your findings.

A Case Study Example

In this video, I’ll walk you through one of my UX research / UI design case studies and explain my rationale.

The case study I referenced in the video and additional examples can be found at: https://katieoeschger.com/portfolio.

Time to get started!

Creating a portfolio can be a daunting task. I hope these tips will help you create a UX research portfolio that will help you accomplish your dreams.

Time for the bad news: your portfolio is actually never finished. Just like any other product or website, I strongly recommend that you keep iterating to improve your portfolio, especially based on any data or feedback you may receive.

Additionally, as you continue to work on new projects, regularly consider adding and/or replacing items in your portfolio to reflect the breadth and/or depth of your advancing skillset!